US 7,598,954 B2Granted

Adapting and rendering graphic effects

AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation

InventorsSara Brown, Ryan C. Hill, Dachuan Zhang, Andrew Hewatt

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Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer program products adapt and render a graphic effect associated with text rendered via an output device. A method involves receiving a character associated with a graphic effect and determining whether the graphic effect has not been fully rendered with a previously received character via the output device. Graphic effects that are fully rendered are rendered in full fidelity without degradation. In response to determining that the graphic effect has not been fully rendered with the previously received character, the method further involves degrading a display quality of the graphic effect and rendering the graphic effect with degradation and rendering the character to allow the character and the graphic effect to be displayed via the output device substantially in real time.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A computer-implemented method for adapting and rendering a graphic effect associated with text rendered via an output device, comprising:

receiving, by a computing system, a character associated with the graphic effect, wherein the received character is an additional character to be added to at least one previously received character also associated with the graphic effect;
determining, by the computing system, whether the graphic effect has not been fully rendered with the at least one previously received character by determining whether a render call sent to a graphics effects layer for fully rendering the at least one previously received character has not returned by the time the character to be added is received;
and
in response to determining, by the computer system, that the graphic effect has not been fully rendered with the at least one previously received character, degrading a display quality of the graphic effect from a full fidelity and rendering the graphic effect and the character at less than the full fidelity to allow the character and the graphic effect to be displayed via the output device in substantially real time, wherein degrading a display quality of the graphic effect and rendering the graphic effect comprises measuring each of the following:
a) a current quality of the graphic effect applied to the previously received character;
b) an amount of time spent rendering graphic effects wherein the graphic effects were fully rendered;
c) an amount of time spent rendering graphic effects wherein rendering the graphic effects was aborted;
d) a ratio level, between a value of zero and a value of one, at which a display quality upgrade is to occur;
e) an amount of time at which b) and c) are to be scaled using a scale factor;
f) a factor, between a value of zero and a value of one, by which b) and c) are to be multiplied;
and
g) a font size of the character being rendered;
wherein the display quality is not degraded when the font size of the character is less than or equal to a minimum threshold value thereby safeguarding legibility.

10 more elements

A computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions, which when executed on a computer, will cause the computer to perform a method of adapting and displaying text and a raster-based effect associated with the text, via a display device, the method comprising:

receiving, by a computing system, a character associated with the raster-based effect, wherein the received character is an additional character to be added to a second character received just prior to the character;
determining, by the computing system, whether the raster-based effect is displayed in full fidelity via the display device with the second character received just prior to the character by determining whether a render call sent to a graphics effects layer for fully rendering the second character has not returned by the time the character to be added is received;
in response to determining, by the computing system, that the raster-based effect is not displayed in full fidelity with the second character, degrading a display quality of the raster-based effect from a full fidelity and display the raster-based effect at less than the full fidelity to allow the character and the raster-based effect to be displayed via the display device substantially in real time, wherein degrading a display quality of the raster-based effect from a full fidelity comprises measuring a font size of the character being rendered, wherein the display quality is not degraded when the font size of the character is less than or equal to a minimum threshold value thereby safeguarding legibility;
in response to determining, by the computing system, that the raster-based effect is displayed in full fidelity with the second character, displaying the raster-based effect in full fidelity with the character substantially in real time;
determining whether another character has been received within a designated time;
aborting a displaying of the raster-based effect in response to determining that another character has been received within a designated time;
completing the upgrade of the display quality of the raster-based effect in response to determining that another character has not been received within a designated time, wherein the upgrade of the display quality of the raster-based effect is completed when a ratio of an amount of time spent rendering raster-based effects, wherein the raster-based effects were fully rendered, to the sum of the amount of time spent rendering raster-based effects, wherein the raster-based effects were fully rendered, plus an amount of time spent rendering raster-based effects, wherein rendering the raster-based effects was aborted, is greater than or equal to a ratio level at which a display quality upgrade is to occur, when a current quality of the raster-based effect applied to the at least one previously received character is greater than 1, and when the current quality of the raster-based effect applied to the at least one previously received character is set to equal 1;
and
displaying the raster-based effect with each character in full fidelity without degradation.

6 more elements

A computer-implemented system for adapting and displaying text and a raster-based effect associated with the text, the system comprising:

a software application and a graphics engine operative to:
receive a character associated with the raster-based effect, wherein the received character is an additional character to be added to a second character received just prior to the character;
determine whether the raster-based effect is displayed in full fidelity via a display device with the second character received just prior to the character by determining whether a render call sent to a graphics effects layer for fully rendering the at least one previously received character has not returned by the time the character to be added is received;
and
in response to determining that the raster-based effect is not displayed in full fidelity with the second character, degrade a display quality of the raster-based effect from a full fidelity, wherein degrading a display quality of the raster-based effect from a full fidelity comprises measuring each of the following:
a) a current quality of the graphic effect applied to the previously received character;
b) an amount of time spent rendering graphic effects wherein the graphic effects were fully rendered;
c) an amount of time spent rendering graphic effects wherein rendering the graphic effects was aborted;
d) a ratio level, between a value of zero and a value of one, at which a display quality upgrade is to occur;
e) an amount of time at which b) and c) are to be scaled using a scale factor;
f) a factor, between a value of zero and a value of one, by which b) and c) are to be multiplied;
and
g) a font size of the character being rendered;
wherein the display quality is not degraded when the font size of the character is less than or equal to a minimum threshold value thereby safeguarding legibility;
and
the display device operative to:
display the raster-based effect at last than the full fidelity to allow the character and the raster-based effect to be displayed via the display device substantially in real time.

14 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.